William Lincoln Smith Hall

Smith Hall is a three story brick residence hall for over 300 Northeastern University freshman students. The dormitory is located at 129 Hemenway St., in Boston, Massachusetts. It is situated in the northern part of campus, near the Back Bay Fens, almost directly across the street from the Stetson halls, where both main dining halls are located.

History

Smith Hall is one of the older buildings on the Northeastern Campus, its construction dating back to 1902. It was originally used as a residence hall for the New England Conservatory of Music, but was purchased by Northeastern in 1960. Smith Hall was named after William Lincoln Smith, in memory of the university's first professor. The hall was dedicated on November 10th, 1966 along with several other Northeastern dormitories, including Churchill, Stetson, Melvin, White, and Light Hall. [http://www.lib.neu.edu/archives/history_exhibits/northeastern_timeline/]

About the Hall

In 2002, over $2 million worth of repairs were made to the structure of Smith Hall. Then, the hall was completely renovated during the summer of 2007. Before that, the hall was one of the more unpleasant dormitories on campus. There was a huge rodent problem, and many students learned to grow accustomed to their furry guests. As with many of the other buildings constructed in the Fenway, Back Bay and South End, Smith hall was built on wood piles and granite cap foundation systems. Erected on top of ground that was once a swamp or tidal area, the hall rests on filled land. Over the past hundred or so years, Smith Hall has slowly settled back into the ground. Also, there has been a lowering of groundwater in the Fenway, which has caused distress to the foundation. All this has aided in the sinking of the hall. Once just a myth, but now a confirmed truth, it is easily visible from the streets looking towards the hall, or from inside the rooms, where desks and beds are clearly slanted to one side. The hall is not dangerous, however, as the university keeps a close eye on the structure of the building. According to Dan Bourque, the vice president of Northeastern facilities, "The building itself is still a very safe and viable residence hall." [http://media.www.nu-news.com/media/storage/paper600/news/2005/09/14/News/Smith.Legend.Proves.True-984161.shtml]

Alarms

Early during the 2007-2008 academic year, the hall had a constant problem with the fire alarm system. Nearly a dozen times over the course of the first few weeks of school were students abruptly awaken or startled by the alarms malfunctioning, causing everyone to evacuate for no reason at all. It grew to be a sort of joke around campus, but the alarms have since ceased. However, on the first floor there is the issue of people using emergency doors for their own exits, causing the door alarms to go off. The building does not have to evacuate in these cases, but it is a great annoyance for anyone within earshot, and it takes upwards of an hour for the alarm to be turned off. The frequency of these happenings has also decreased, mostly due to the threatening messages left on the doors for those using the exits.

Scandal

Expulsion

On Sunday, September 2nd, 2007, two freshman residents were expelled from Northeastern University for a variety of infractions. The students were arrested after two undercover police officers found a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and a small baggie of marijuana in plain sight. After a further search of the room, the police found eight small bags of marijuana, hundreds of plastic baggies, a larger plastic baggie containing three to four ounces of marijuana, and a Triton T2 digital scale. In addition to the paraphernalia, $1,045 cash, multiple bottles of Malibu rum, Smirnoff Twist raspberry vodka, and Southern Comfort whiskey. A vaporizer, which is a device used to release the intoxicating chemicals in the marijuana plant was also seized during the search.

A policemen overheard Emery saying, "If you're looking for weed, my roommate has some for sale".

The two were arrested, arraigned, and charged with possession of a class D substance with intent to distribute, possession of alcohol by a minor, and conspiracy to violate the state's drug laws. Both were expelled from Northeastern immediately following the conclusion of the events. [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/09/for_two_northea.html]

Exit Signs

Over the past several months, Smith Hall has had a very serious problem with their "Exit" signs. In appears that a select group of students on the 3rd floor enjoy tearing down these signs, for reasons unknown. The signs are rarely stolen, usually just left dangling from their wires or fallen broken on the hallway floor. Smith Hall staff took the matter very seriously, as the broken signs are a violation of fire code. A hall meeting was called to inform students of the repercussions for tampering with the signs. They residential staff encouraged the students to cease, stating that it was in their best interest. Since the meeting, the destruction of the signs has diminished, however every now and again a sign can be found draped from the ceiling.

References

[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/09/for_two_northea.html Boston Glode]
[http://www.northeastern.edu/reslife/housing/hallsfreshmen.html#smith Northeastern Residence Life]
[http://www.lib.neu.edu/archives/history_exhibits/northeastern_timeline/ Northeastern University Libraries]
[http://www.lib.neu.edu/archives/collect/findaids/a60box03find.htm Northeastern University Libraries Archives and Special Collections Department]
[http://media.www.nu-news.com/media/storage/paper600/news/2005/09/14/News/Smith.Legend.Proves.True-984161.shtml Smith Legend Proves True]